The True Meaning Of Friendship
by Swirly95
Summary: This is the story of Deirdre/Swirly. When she's befriended by the newsies, will she keep up her mission to find her grandparents? Or will she stay a newsie? Find out! Sorry I'm horrible at summarys!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone!!! This is my second fanfic, so i hope you like it. This is the story about Swirly. Thanks to Smiley94 and Skitterysgoil, you guys are great. I wouldn't be writting without your encouragement. Well I hope you all like it! Please! Please reveiw!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!**

Deirdre Begley stood up quietly, from kneeling next to her Mother's grave. She knew that this would be the last time she would be here. When she turned away, one single tear rolled down her cheek, she didn't want to go but she knew she had to. Her Mother would have wanted her to, life had never been easy for them, but when her mother died Deirdre's life turned into a nightmare. She walked to the train station to buy a ticket, she had swiped some of her father's money to pay for it. She bought a ticket to Manhattan, New York, then found a seat at the back of the train. She had tried to disguise herself, by putting on black pants, a dark green blouse, boots, and an old hat, with her hair down under it, a completely different wardrobe then she would normally wear. But no one would recognize her anyways, she hadn't been allowed to leave her yard in years. She decided to try and sleep on the train. She had time, Boston was a good ways from New York. But she couldn't sleep, she kept thinking about the life she leaving behind.

Her mother, Aeryn Catherwood, had grown up in Manhattan. Her father, Aidan Begley, was from Ireland. He left at sixteen, because his childhood had been a horrible one. His father was an alcoholic, who abused him, his mother also did. He left on a boat and came to New York, there he also became an alcoholic. He found a job that took him to Manhattan, and there he met, Aeryn. They soon enough fell in love. Her mother had been a strong Christian, because her parents were originally from Ireland also, and Aidan stopped drinking under her influence. After they courted for a year, he asked her to marry him. When she asked for her parents permission, they refused her. They weren't the richest family in Manhattan, but their name held some standard, and they didn't want her marrying some no name, who they know nothing about. Besides the fact that he had run away from his home in Ireland, had been a poor alcoholic. But like many other young couples they went against her parents, and eloped. They ran away to Boston, where he got a new job. They were not yet married a year when Aeryn, told Aidan, they were going to have a baby. Aidan was not happy about this, he hated the idea of children, and remembering what went on in his childhood made him hate them even more. He thought children were just things that caused trouble and that no one loved them. Thinking about this and his own childhood made him so furious that he started drinking, again, and taking his anger out on his wife and new daughter. Though Deirdre wasn't loved or wanted by her father, her mother loved her dearly. They would talk about everything, Aeryn taught her that not everyone was like her father, that there were good men in the world. And that deep down Aidan was a good man, he was just hurt and confused. Her mother died when Deirdre was only eleven, many people said that Aidan was the reason of his wife's early death, and sadly Deirdre was one of them. But Aeryn loved Aidan till the very end of her life. After her mothers death, Deirdre's life was awful. But she put up with it for three and a half years. Then two days ago she knew it was time to leave, she just couldn't put up with her father any longer. So she left Boston to go find her mothers parents, in Manhattan, New York.

Thinking about this Deirdre fell asleep for a couple hours, but it seemed like she just shut her eye's when the conductor yelled. "Manhattan, New York!" She got up and walked out of the train with a smile. Her she was finally away from Boston and her father! She would find her grandparents, she just had to!

**Hope you liked it. I'll post the second chapter soon. Please Review!**


	2. New Friends

"Excuse me sir, I'll only take a min-" Deirdre was cut short.

"Oh shut up, ya darn street rat! And get outta here, before ya scare all my customers away!" The rude man behind the store counter shouted. 

Deirdre walked out, feeling glum. She sat down on the sidewalk, with the feeling of just completely giving up on looking for her grandparents. She'd been in Manhattan for about a week without any luck of finding them. Her stomach growled interrupting her thoughts. She reached into her pocket, only a little bit of money left. And she had no idea how long it was gonna take her to find her grandparents. Thinking this gave her some hope, she just had to find them! She had to, there was no other way to live. She had been trying to save her money, but her stomach wouldn't stop so finally she gave into it. She decided to try a new diner today, she'd been eating at the same one all week. She walked around a bit and found a tiny diner, Tibby's, that suited her taste. 

She ordered a sandwich that she could afford, then relaxed in the booth. She had barely taken a bite of her dinner, when a couple of dirty boys walked into the diner. She recognized them as the newsies she saw peddling the papes around Manhattan. She thought about how much fun it would be to be a newsie, they could live the way they wanted, they had a place to live, and they made money without doing much. Someone tapped her shoulder making her come out of her daze. She looked up and saw one of the newsies standing next to her. 

"Excuse me goily, mind if I take this?" He asked pointing to an extra box of matches on her table.

"Naw, you can take it." She replied with a smile. He picked it up, and surprised her by sitting across from her.

"Da names Racetrack, youse can call me Race though." He said pulling out a cigar.

"Nice to meet you Race. I'm Deirdre." She answered.

"Nice name…" He said thoughtfully taking a draw on his cigar. "Where ya from? Yer not from around here that's fer sure." 

"I'm from Boston, but how'd you know-" She was cut short.

"Yer accent." He replied with a smile.

"Oh." She said, thinking about how funny Race's accent was. He couldn't have been more then two years older then her, probably around seventeen, she thought.

"What are ya doin' so far from home?" He asked with a sly grin.

"None of your beeswax." Deirdre replied with her own sly grin.

"Youse is gonna do good 'round here." He said thoughtfully.

"Why thank you." She responded. Just then two other boys walked over, one with a patch over his who looked about Race's age, and the other a year or two younger , who had a sweet smile on his face.

"Heya Race, whatcha got ova here?" The on with the patch asked.

"Yeah youse gonna introduce us to dis pretty goil or not?' The other one asked with a cute grin.

"Deirdre dis is Kid Blink and Mush. Mush, Blink, dis is Deirdre." Race introduced.

"Nice ta meet ya Deirdre." Blink said sliding into the seat next to her, while Mush sat next to Race.

"Nice to meet you too." She answered, smiling at all three of them. They talked for a good hour.

"How come youse left Boston?" Mush asked.

"My mother died when I was eleven, and its been three and a half years. Finally I decided to come here to find my mother's parents, who live somewhere in Manhattan. And all I know is that their names are Darragh, and Ciara, Catherwood." She told them.

"Well wish ya luck Deirdre. But we'se gotta be heading back now though." Race said.

"Oh alright." Deirdre answered, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Hopefully we'll see ya around." Mush said standing up.

"Yeah where ya been staying?" Blink asked.

"Uh…Usually the streets." She replied, getting embarrassed.

"Youse ain't got a lot of money either, have you?" Race asked.

"Naw." Deirdre.

"And youse have no idea how long its gonna take you to find your grandparents. Maybe you should come back wit us and become a newsie? You'll have a roof over your head, unless you can't pay for it. Youse won't be making a fortune but its better then nothing'." Race offered her.

"Youse won't be the only goil either." Mush told her.

"So what do ya say?" Blink asked.

"Sure, why not?!" Deirdre exclaimed, happy that she wouldn't have to leave her new found friends. 

"Great!" All three responded in unison. Deirdre laughed at their reaction.

"Well come on then!" Race said leading the way to the Newsboys Lodging house.


	3. What are friends fer?

**Hey everyone! Chapter three is up! YAY! Well thanks for reading my story, please review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mush, Blink, Race, or Jack, Disney does. Snap belongs to Skitterysgoil. Smiley belongs to Smiley94. Snick belongs to Snick-a-doodle. I own Deirdre!**

Deirdre followed Race, Mush and Blink to the Newsboys lodging house. It looked like an old, normal, boring building from the outside, she hadn't been expecting anything grand though. She walked through the doors behind Mush and Blink, while Race held the door open for her. She walked in and saw an old man with a smile on his face. That must be Kloppman, the caretaker Race told me about, Deirdre thought. She got nervous for a moment when he looked her way with a quizzical expression, but when he spoke all her worries vanished.

"Ah, and who's this lovely young lady, ya got with ya boys?" He asked, in that sweet way all old men do.

"Dis here is Deirdre. Deirdre meet Kloppy." Race introduced. "She's gonna be a newsie, while she's looking for her grandparents here in 'Hattan. She needs some money and a place to stay fer the time being."

"Alright, you know I don't mind." Kloppman answered.

"Come on Deirdre, lets go meet everyone else." Mush said taking her hand and pulling her into the other room.

"Heya fellas, dis here is Deirdre. She's gonna be a newsie while she finds her grandparents." Race explained quickly, tired of talking.

"Hi Deirdre, I'm Jack da leader." A boy that looked about seventeen or eighteen said walking up to her and holding his hand out to her, which he spit into. She didn't want to be on bad terms with the leader of the Manhattan newsies, so she spit in her hand likewise, and shook his. He smiled, then introduced her to the rest of the newsboys, coming to the girls last. "That's Snapper, Smiley, and Snick."

"Hiya!" "Hey there!" "Hey, call me Snap!" They all greeted with friendly smiles. Then after a minute they took her upstairs to where she would be bunking with them.

"Here, you can have the top bed of my bunk." Smiley offered, pointing to a bunk bed.

"Thanks!" Deirdre answered enthusiastically.

"We haven't had a new newsie in awhile, I'm glad you came along Deirdre!" Snick exclaimed.

"Haha, well I'm glad I made your day." Deirdre responded with a grin. She looked around what would be her home, till she found her grandparents. She liked it and everyone in it already! She wanted to look around and get to know everyone better. But she was so exhausted and anxious to fall asleep in a bed, which she hadn't done in what felt like ages. "Well I know its early, and I wanted to get to know you all better. But I'm bushed, I need some serious sleep." She apologized.

"Naw that's a good idea, you'll be getting up early tomorrow to sell anyways. Oh we'll wake ya in the morning', that is if the boys and Kloppy don't." Snick said, walking out of the room with Smiley and Snap. Deirdre didn't know what she meant, but she was to tired to ask. I'll find out in the morning, she thought, slipping of her boots. Then hopped onto what was now her bed, she was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

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Two weeks later Deirdre was sitting in Tibby's waiting for Mush. While waiting she thought about her first two weeks as a newsie:

She found out what Snick had been talking about, she had woken up the next morning to Kloppy yelling and the boys grumbling and yelling back. She had never been a good morning person, but that morning she had smiled and hopped right out of bed. Snap told her that Race had offered to take her selling with him today. Deirdre got ready and walked out the door. to see Race and Mush standing there waiting.

"Did Snap tell ya I'm taking youse out sellin taday?" He asked. Deirdre just nodded. "Mush decided ta tag along too. Is dat ok?"

"Of course!" Deirdre responded, with a grin directed at Mush, who smiled in return.

"Okay, lets get goin' den." Race said, while Mush lead the way out the door. That day went by fast, and Deirdre sold all twenty of her papes. She got to know Race and Mush more. And by the end of the week of the first week she was up to thirty papes. Now she was up to forty, Jack said she was a born newsie, which made her feel very proud. Either Race or Mush had gone with Deirdre everyday except today, this had been her first day of these past two weeks that Deirdre had gone selling alone. And she had sold everyone of her papes! She was so proud of herself, she couldn't wait to tell Mush, thinking of him made her realize how long she had been waiting for him. She ordered a lemonade to help pass the time. After she finished it, Mush finally walked through the door. "Heya Swirly!" He greeted using the nick-name the newsies came up with for her. Because when she'd get excited, she'd twirls around in circle's.

"Oh my goodness! I thought you were never gonna get here." She exclaimed when he sat down, and ordered a sandwich. He just grinned.

"How'd your sellin' go today?" He asked anxious to hear how many papes she had sold. She was almost up to fifty, and so soon! Him and Race were really proud of her.

"Great! Sold 'em all!" She responded enthusiastically, hoping he would be almost as proud of her as she was of herself.

"Good job Swirl." He responded.

"Well I couldn't have done it without you and Race, the best teachers a 'goil' could ask for." She answered with a grin. Mush smiled and took a bite of his sandwich. "Hows da grandparent search goin'?"

"Zero…" She said with a frown.

"Don't give up Swirl, yer sure ta find 'em." He encouraged, then a thought struck him. "Why don't I'se help ya find them?'

"Really?! You would help me?" She asked, making sure she heard him right.

"Don't act so surprised, I'm really not that bad of a person, now am I?" He teased/

"Aww, thanks Mush. I'd really appreciated it." She responded.

"We'se can start while we sell our papes tomorrow." He told. After he finished his dinner they slowly walked back to the lodging house. Swirly couldn't wait for tomorrow. She was excited that she would be able to be around Mush more now also. She had a feeling she was beginning to have feelings for him, but she didn't know just yet.

"By the way, thanks again Mush." She said.

"What are friends fer?" He asked, putting his arm around her shoulders. They walked the rest of the way to the lodging house like that. Just being really good friends!

**Thanks for reading! Please review!!!!!!!!!**


	4. A realization

Hi people! I'm glad you're back to read my story ;) I wanna thank Smiley94 for her encouragement. You're awesome Smiley, luv ya! Hope you like it, please review!!!!!

**Swirly couldn't wait for the next day. Mush had promised to go selling with her, they could 'start looking around for information on her grandparents, while they were selling their papes and afterwards' he said. That night she could barely sleep thinking about finding her grandparents, Mush told her not to get her hopes up because it would take a long time to find them…if they did find them. She tried not to let that get her down though. She didn't think she'd ever get to sleep, until she remembered that when she found her grandparents she'd have to leave the newsies. But then that was the plan the whole time, and she knew she couldn't stay a newsie her whole life. Even if she decided to stay she would get kicked out before she turned twenty. That sobered her and she finally drifted off to sleep. By morning she had forgotten about the downside to finding her grandparents. And walked out of the girls bunkroom with a smile on. She met Mush downstairs. "Youse ready Swirl?" He asked, returning her contagious grin.**

"**Yep!" She replied, still smiling. "Lets go!" He followed her outside and to the distribution office. **

"**Ya seem mighty happy taday." Race greeted while lighting a cigar, when Mush and her got in line behind him and Skittery.**

"**I'll take that as a compliment. Mornin' Skitt!" She said.**

"**Heya Swirl." He responded with a smile. **

**Mush bought his seventy-five papes and Swirl her forty. Then they were off. "So where do ya suggest we'se start lookin'?" Mush asked.**

"**I don't know. You know Manhattan better than me, so you choose." She responded.**

"**Alrighty then, how 'bout we start asking around at some of the stores around?" He suggested.**

"**And the dress shops!" Swirl added, getting excited all over again. **

"**Lets go den." Mush laughed as Swirl spun around on her toes and fell down on her back. They both laughed for a minute, then Mush helped her up. "Come on miss klutz!"**

**They sold a couple papes on their way to a fancy dress shop in town. Swirl lead the way in, Mush stayed by the door feeling out of place. He felt awkward being in there with a bunch of ladies and fancy dresses. So he just looked around from where he stood, when a girl around Swirl's age walked up to where he was standing. He smiled at her and looked past her to where Swirl was waiting to talk to one of the sales ladies. When the girl didn't smile back and just stood there with an annoyed look on her face he wondered what on earth he could be doing wrong. So he asked. "Excuse me miss, is something' wrong?" He asked innocently.**

"**Yes there is, you're standing in the way of the silk material I would like to look at!" She replied sternly.**

"**Oh…sorry I'se didn't realize." He said stepping away, with a blush.**

"**What is a horrid boy like you doing in a dress shop anyways?" She asked turning up her nose like he smelled awful.**

"**Uhhh….." Mush had no idea what to say to this rude girl in front of him. Swirl had heard what the girl had been saying to Mush as she walked away from the sales lady. **

"**Excuse me miss, but do you have any reason to talk to my friend like that?" She asked growing angry.**

"**Yes I do, he is a street rat." And looking Swirl up and down. "And by the looks of it you are too." She finished giving Swirl and Mush a look of utter disgust.**

"**Oh, because we don't wear fancy clothes or have a lot of money we're now referred to as animals?! And people can talk to us like we are animals?!" Swirl said getting angrier by the second. The girl was taken back for a moment as if she had never thought of it that way.**

"**Well I never!" She exclaimed pushing past Swirl and Mush to go look at the silk that had started the conversation.**

"**Youse seem mighty upset. They didn't have any information on your grandparents? Don't get upset we just started Swirl." Mush said after they had walked out of the shop and had walked for awhile in silence.**

"**No its not that I actually did find out that she had done business with my grandmother's housekeeper once. No it's that that girl in there was so nasty just 'cause we have to sell papes to get by and we don't live in fancy houses or clothes and don't speak like her we're treated as dirt!" She exclaimed getting mad all over again.**

"**Ehh, I'se guess I'm used to it." He replied. "I know it's hard to get used to. And like ya told me once, youse never went when you lived in Boston so maybe youse just ain't used to how cruel people can be, like me and the rest of us newsies are."**

"**Oh believe me…I know how cruel people can be…." She whispered so that Mush could barely hear her.**

"**What do ya mean?" He asked.**

"**Oh nothing…" She answered, realizing she had almost slipped and told Mush about her father. **

"**I don't know what youse left behind in Boston Deirdre." Using her real name to show how serious he was. "But I'se want ya to know, you can tell me whenever you're ready too."**

"**I know that Mush, and thank you." She replied putting her arm through his. They sold the rest of their papes, they went into some other shops and stores but didn't learn anything else. Swirl walked home a little upset but happy because Mush and her were getting so close. And she thought, that she was starting to trust him more and more and that she would most likely tell him her story soon.**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it! Please review!**


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